Do you know a child who sings Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs, does charades with more bounds of energy, or makes up dance numbers to show mom and dad and all their friends? Some children were just born to perform, and The Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede want them to bring their show out of the basement and onto the stage.

Singing since she was five, eight-year-old Tegan Pierce remembers last year's audition. "I was both nervous and excited at the same time, but I went into the room feeling like I could just give it my best. It was a lot of fun, and I made even made some friends at the auditions!"

This year's junior auditions take place February 6 and 7 at the Agriculture building at Stampede Park. For the Friday auditions, female dancers with a year minimum of ballet training should arrive ready to move in leotards, tights and dance slippers. They'll be taken through a stretch and flexibility warm-up and then taught a short dance routine and asked to perform first in a large group, then in smaller groups.

On Saturday morning, the singers take the stage, encouraged to wear something comfortable, because movement is a requisite for all Young Canadians, not just the dancers. Following their solo vocal auditions, which include a song of their choice and matching voice to notes played on piano, the singers are taught their own dance routine which is performed as a group.

At the end of both auditions, candidates are either given a call-back letter or a thank you letter with encouragement to try again in the future. Call-backs occur on the very same day so candidates know before going home whether or not they've been accepted as part of the cast.

Auditioning again this year (all cast members must re-audition every year), Tegan has some advice for other singers. "You need to perform as much as possible before the audition - sing for your family and your friends so you're comfortable with your song." And as for dancers? "Come expecting to have fun... because you will."

Juniors have been part of the Grandstand Show from the very beginning when they performed as the Calgary Kidettes alongside the Rockettes who starred in the first Grandstand Show in 1968.

The Calgary Stampede, together with the Calgary Stampede Foundation, annually invests almost $2 million into 12 youth and education programs.